20 Shopping Hacks Every Kroger Shopper Needs to Know

If you shop at King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Smith’s or Ralph’s, you’re familiar with Kroger. You may even love them because there are so many ways to save. The Kroger Company family of stores is made up of over 24 brands and is one of the largest general retailers in the country—second only to Walmart. Kroger may have many names, but you can save the same way at nearly all of them.

1. Sign up for the loyalty card.

This is an obvious one. Create an account with your local Kroger store and load digital manufacturer coupons from your store’s site to your account so you don’t have to clip paper coupons. These digital manufacturer coupons cannot be combined with paper manufacturer coupons for the same product.

When you’re checking out at the store, swipe or scan your loyalty card, and all your loaded manufacturer coupons will apply to your total. If you forget your card, just enter in your phone number to receive the savings.

Tip: Ensure your account information—especially your address—is up to date. You don’t want to miss out on the exclusive promotions or coupons offered to loyalty card holders!

2. Get a free item every Friday.

On Fridays, Kroger stores offer a digital free-item coupon that can be added to your loyalty card and redeemed within two weeks. In the recent past, Free Friday Download coupons have been good for bread, yogurt, pet food, candy, and more.

At Kroger stores you can stack one manufacturer coupon (digital, paper, or printable) with an in-ad store coupon at the register. Coupons in your local Kroger store’s ad may be store or manufacturer coupons. If they’re manufacturer coupons, “manufacturer coupon” will be printed on it. Keep in mind that you can only use two printable Internet coupons per manufacturer, per customer, per day. And when you’re buying multiples of the same product, no more than five manufacturer coupons for that product will be accepted in the same transaction.

The savings don’t stop at the register! Use rebate apps like Ibotta and Checkout 51 for extra savings. Simply snap a photo of your receipt, showing that you purchased a specific product, and get cash back. Sometimes these rebate apps have the same rebate offers, which means you should definitely scan the same receipt for multiple rebates!

4. Get up to $1 off per gallon with fuel rewards.

Every dollar you spend at a Kroger store is normally worth one fuel point (with the exception of gift card purchases and special promotions). There is no limit to how many points you can accrue, but keep in mind that points reset every month and you can only use points for up to 35 gallons of gas. Check the bottom of your receipt or sign into your account to see how many fuel points you’ve accumulated.

100 fuel points = 10¢ off per gallon of fuel for 1 fill-up at a Kroger store.

200 fuel points = 20¢ off per gallon of fuel for 1 fill-up at a Kroger store.

1,000 fuel points = $1 off per gallon of fuel for 1 fill-up at a Kroger store.

5. Connect to the free Wi-Fi.

I don’t know about you, but I hate losing signal right when I’m in the middle of discovering a new deal (especially on the Krazy Coupon Lady app!). Thankfully, Kroger stores offer free Wi-Fi when you shop in-store.

6. Order groceries online, pick up at the store—and use coupons.

Kroger and some of its affiliate stores like Fred Meyer are now offering ClickList, a service that lets you order groceries (deli and produce items included!) online to be picked up curbside at the store. And yes, you can use digital coupons loaded onto your loyalty card!

Kroger’s online ordering is a cinch. Create an account and enter in your loyalty card number. Recently purchased items and even recommended sale items based on past purchases can easily be added to your shopping cart with one click. What’s even cooler is, ClickList will tally up your total for you and waive your first three online order fees to help you stay on budget. After your first three orders, the online order fee is $4.95.

7. Try the Kroger brand item, like it, or get the national brand free.

That’s literally Kroger’s banner brand guarantee. If you don’t like the store brand product you purchased, exchange the unused portion for the equivalent national brand for free as long as you have the receipt. In case you weren’t already aware, Kroger stores actually carry three store labels in addition to their Simple Truth Organic line. However, their guarantee only applies to banner brands.

Private Selection – Kroger’s premium line.

Banner Brands – The majority of the items stocked in store. Look for the store label (Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, Fry’s, etc.).

Value Brands – Good-quality products at a more affordable price.

8. Get 2X the fuel points when you buy gift cards.

We are huge advocates of purchasing items with discounted gift cards from sites like Raise.com, but buying gift cards at a Kroger family store may be the next best thing! Get twice the fuel points when you purchase gift cards for travel, dining, retail, entertainment and more. Or, keep a watch out for when Kroger stores do their “4X the fuel points when you buy a gift card” promotion.

9. Keep your receipt, you could win $5,000 in free groceries.

Next time you buy something at your local Kroger family store, check the bottom of your receipt and participate in a quick customer satisfaction survey for a chance to win $5,000. You’ll receive 50 bonus fuel points just for participating! Although only one person gets the monthly $5,000 drawing, 100 people get $100 Kroger gift cards…every month! Think about how many people actually take those surveys (probably not many!), and decide if it’s worth it to spend five minutes on a questionnaire (totally)…may the odds be ever in your favor.

Several times a year, Kroger and most of its affiliate stores hold Mega Event sales that allow you to mix and match specified products for a discount at the register. Mega Events are typically listed as buy 4, save $4.00; buy 5, save $5.00; or buy 10, save $5.00. Unlike regular ’10 for $10′ sales, you must buy all 4, 5, or 10 items to receive the discount. Pair printable, newspaper or digital coupons with items purchased in this promo, and save even more on your total grocery bill.

12. Download the app to manage rewards on the go.

Most of the bigger Kroger stores (Kroger, Fry’s, Fred Meyer, Ralph’s, King Soopers, QFC, etc.) can be accessed through their own store app. Manage rewards and fuel points, create shopping lists, load coupons to your loyalty card, see weekly ads, order groceries for pickup, and manage prescriptions all from the app.

13. Get $1 in free wireless phone services for every 100 fuel points.

i-wireless is the love child of Kroger and Sprint’s nationwide wireless network. If you’re getting tired of your current wireless provider, you may want to consider this as an option. You get credits just for grocery shopping! Get nationwide coverage and no contracts when you sign up for an i-wireless mobile phone plan (you can even bring your own phone). Unlimited talk, text, and Web starts at $35. And yes, you get to use the same points on fuel, too!

14. Look for Catalina coupons at regular and self checkout registers.

Catalina machines located at registers dispense long, receipt-like coupons. Catalina coupons may be store or manufacturer coupons. They can be for a dollar-amount off your next transaction or a specific product coupon. Kroger stores will accept valid, current Kroger banner store Catalina coupons as well as manufacturer Catalina checkout coupons, including those with other stores’ logos on them, provided it clearly states it’s a manufacturer coupon and has a valid remit address and instructions to the retailer for redemption.

Tip: I like self checkout because I can check other registers for coupons and Catalinas that other people dismiss because they may think it’s junk or an advertisement. There have been times when I was able to find Catalinas for free items or even for $2 or $3 off my next shopping trip!

15. Don’t shop on weekends or around 4-6 PM on weekdays.

People coming home from work will swarm to their local Kroger store for dinner ingredients. Better to shop early or late on weekdays to skip long lines and impatient people who would rather not wait behind a couponer at the register.

16. Look for manager’s specials that are marked with yellow and red tags.

At my local Fred Meyer, manager’s specials (items reduced in price because they’re approaching expiration or ‘best by’ dates, or are seasonal goods) are marked with yellow and red ‘WooHoo’ tags. The label may have different verbiage at you local Kroger store, but they’re all typically marked with yellow and red labels. Find manager’s specials in carts located in the middle of aisles, in end-caps, and near the stock room door. Produce and dairy manager’s specials are located in the same area as non-discounted items.

Most items nearing expiration will already be labeled with a yellow and red manager’s special tag, but sometimes items are missed! If you see a product that will soon be expired, or a piece of produce that is uneven or not looking as fresh as the others, ask for a discount. I do it all the time!

18. Scan the shelves for closeout tags.

When an item is being discontinued or hasn’t sold for a while, Kroger stores will dramatically reduce its price and slap on a white closeout label. Closeout items are typically found on regular shelves next to full-price items, so be sure to scan the shelves in every aisle you come across!

19. Sign up for the 1-2-3 Rewards prepaid debit card for an extra 5 cents off on gas and free groceries.

If you’re a loyal Kroger shopper, applying for the 1-2-3 Rewards prepaid debit card definitely has its perks. For every dollar you spend—in and outside of Kroger stores—you get points that lead to free groceries (1000 points = $5 in free groceries). The easiest way to accumulate points quickly is by purchasing inside a Kroger store (2 points per dollar spent), and by buying Kroger brand products (3 points per dollar spent). Every month you’ll receive electronic coupons that can be redeemed by scanning your card—plus, since you have to load money onto your card, you won’t ever have to worry about going over your set budget!

20. Get up to 10% off your bill if you’re a senior.

If you’re 55 or older, you can get 10% off your grocery bill the first Tuesday of every month at my local Fred Meyer. They’ll even send text alerts to remind you! Other Kroger stores offer a 5% discount every Thursday for seniors who are 60+ years old. Check with your local store for details.